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The series between the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic, if you go by the numbers, hasn’t exactly been competitive as evidenced by the Hawks getting lambasted by 43 on Tuesday.

Game 2 on Thursday would be similar in a lot of ways (dominance in the stats) except perhaps for one – the final score. The Magic shot a blistering 56 percent while four players scored at least 20 points, leading Orlando to the 112-98 win over Atlanta at Amway Arena.

The first half was one of opposites as the Magic outscored the Hawks 32-27 in the first quarter whereas Atlanta outscored Orlando 30-17 and took a 57-49 advantage to their locker room at the intermission.

The Magic got a surge when Dwight Howard, in completing a reverse layup, was inadvertently smacked on the nose by the Hawks’ Al Horford and would suffer a bloody nose, as a result. After some patchwork on his nose, Howard would miss the free throw, then would leave for 2 minutes to stem the bleeding.

That incident would start an 11-2 Magic run that erased the Hawks’ nine-point lead and put Orlando ahead 62-59; Jameer Nelson would drain a three-pointer as time expired in the third quarter, putting the Magic up by one going into the fourth quarter. A flurry of three-pointers by the Magic would ice the game and send the Hawks to a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-seven series.

Four Magic players scored at least 20 points, led by Howard with 29 points, 17 rebounds and a block while Vince Carter added 24 with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block; Rashard Lewis and Nelson each chipped in 20 – with Lewis making 3 three-pointers, grabbing 4 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists, along with a steal and a block while Nelson grabbed a board, dished out 6 assists, along with a steal.

The Hawks were led by Horford with 24 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks while Jamal Crawford came off the bench to add 23 (including 3 treys) with 4 rebounds and 4 assists; Joe Johnson chipped in 19 with 2 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal while Josh Smith poured in 18 with 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.

Orlando and Atlanta meet again for Game 3 of the series on Saturday evening at Philips Arena.